The present invention is directed to a system for dispensing and applying a work material to various work areas. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an applicator system which may be easily and conveniently reconfigured in the field to be ergonomically adapted for various application conditions. The reconfigurable applicator system thus relieves the physical strain otherwise incurred by an operator over prolonged periods of operation.
Various dispensing devices for sealant, adhesive, epoxy, caulk, and other such pasty materials are known in the art. They include gun-type devices with pneumatic measures for driving the flow of the given material(s) from containers or cartridges for application on a particular work surface or area. In heavy duty applications, or where multiple cartridges are used for combined dispensing of complementary materials, the dispensing device may be quite substantial in bulk and mass.
Particularly over prolonged periods of use, this requires considerable physical exertion of the user. The bulk and mass of the device and its material payload alone would invariably wear on the user's stamina. Add to this the strain of awkwardly contorting the body to reach both raised and low-lying work areas with the same device, and the task of applying the material(s) often becomes quite formidable. Lower back and leg strain, and the dangerous risk of losing one's balance at a hazardous work site are all too often the result. The task is only made more difficult by the user's need to constantly hold the material cartridge(s) in place within the device when it is reoriented and manipulated, for instance, to reach low-lying areas.
Known applicator devices may simply be flipped or otherwise re-oriented for use in different situations. This cannot be done without considerable added effort on the user's part to secure the material cartridge(s) so that proper dispensing and application operation is preserved in the device. Other applicator devices are known which may be taken apart and reassembled to suit different application tasks. Even if the disruption in work flow this requires could be afforded, the user is typically not equipped with sufficient tools (or know how) to break down the applicator, rearrange or replace disassembled parts, then put back together with reasonable efficiency or accuracy. Nor would the work area—such as on precarious locations of partially built structures or in other debris-strewn, high active areas of construction sites—normally provide an environment conducive to intricate operations like that.
There is, therefore, a need for an applicator device that may be easily and conveniently adapted for convenient, ergonomically suited use in various situations. There is a need for such applicator device which may be adaptively operated by users to just as comfortably apply a given material to higher application areas situated generally above their waist level, as to lower areas situated below waist level. There is a need for an applicator device which may be so adaptively operated without having to carry out extensive disassembly and reassembly procedures in the field.